BREAKING: 76ers sign Paul George at Clippers expense: instant reaction and analysis

NBA free agency started off with a bang, with the Philadelphia 76ers putting their $60 million in cap space to good use by signing nine-time all-star Paul George away from the LA Clippers. Doing so gives the Sixers a big three, with George joining former MVP Joel Embiid and all-star and reigning Most Improved Player of the Year Tyrese Maxey.

It will cost them, after signing George to a four-year, max deal. Nevertheless, they will still have around $15 million in remaining cap space as well as the room exception for when they use up that rest of their space before having to switch over to minimum contracts.

How does adding Paul George help the Philadelphia 76ers next season?

Having three stars makes building out the rest of their roster a lot easier but the main goal of adding George would be to take the pressure off of Embiid. Embiid has struggled to stay healthy throughout an entire regular season and the playoffs. George has too, but if Embiid and George are able to play around 65 regular season games each, then the Sixers would have two stars available for most games, with Maxey having a better track record of staying healthy.

That should dramatically improve the Sixers ceiling after starting strong last season, having the best record in the Eastern Conference before injuries to Embiid and Maxey resulted in them dropping to the seventh-seed. That meant a tougher, rougher route through the playoffs, with them running into the New York Knicks in the first round and losing in six games. The Knicks have already gotten much better this summer, so landing George should help them keep pace with a playoff rematch possible.

Ultimately, the Sixers clearing out cap space to try and land a third-star to pair with Embiid and Maxey has worked out in a big way. With more money to spend, we'll have to see how they build around Embiid, Maxey, and George.